The Renshaw Job
by Morralls
Summary: Nate gets a call from a childhood friend, requesting help. Spurred on by his personal feelings, he leads the team into the most dangerous job yet, with a complete disregard for his own personal safety. This case might be too big for the thieves.
1. Wake up Call

Disclaimer: I am in no way attributed to Leverage.

Author's Note: Okay, I love the French language. I took a few years of it in high school and find the language beautiful. So I put their conversations in France in French. Go figure. The English translation is in parentheses. Because the conversation is so long, I put the translations right after the words. If they speak another language at another point in the story, but they don't speak as much, I'll put the translations at the bottom of the page, as is proper. Otherwise, enjoy the story.

_Nathan Ford saw his mark, sitting at a little café in Paris. With a charming smile he wore only for her, he went to the two person table and sat down. She smiled at him and raised her champagne glass to her lips, taking a long sip, and Nathan raised an eyebrow. _

"_Bonsoir, Monsieur Ford. Qu'est-ce qui vous amène à Paris ?" (Good evening, Mr. Ford. What brings you to Paris?) Sophie asked._

"En fait, Sophie, c'est toi. La société m'a envoyé pour t'attraper." (Actually Sophie, you do. The company sent me to bring you in.) The French rolled off of Nathan's tongue with practiced ease. For reasons unbeknownst to either of them, Sophie and Nate always invariably spoke the language of the  
country they met in. French in Paris, Italian in Venice, English in New York, the idea was clear.

"Et si je ne veux pas ?" (What if I don't want to go in?)

"Tu n'as pas le choix. " (You have no choice.) Nathan replied pleasantly. Sophie put her drink down.

"Franchement Nate, quand vas-tu accepter le fait que tu ne peux pas m'attraper moi et arrêter la chasse ?" (Honestly Nate, when will you accept that you will never catch me and stop chasing me?) Sophie asked, exasperated.

"Que ferai-tu si j'arrêtais ? " (What would you do if I stopped?)

"C'est une question facile. Je volerai les joyaux de la Couronne, et puis tout ce qu'il y a au Louvre, puis j'irai aux États-Unis et je volerai tout ce qu'il y dans le Metropolitan Museum. Ensuite, tu seras obligé de te lancer à ma poursuite." (That's an easy question. I would steal the Crown Jewels, then everything in the Louvre, and then I would come to the United States and steal everything in the Metropolitan Museum, and then you would have to come after me.) Sophie replied brightly. Nathan chuckled and shook his head.

"Tu es incroyable. " (You're unbelieveable.)

"Merci." Sophie smiled. " Dis-moi, comment va Maggie?" (Thank you…. Tell me, how is Maggie?)

"Elle va bien." (She's fine.) Nathan replied uncomfortably, looking away. Sophie frowned, concerned.

"Nathan, quelque chose ne va pas ?" (Nathan, is something wrong?)

"Maggie .... Maggie uh ... a demandé le divorce." (Maggie filed for a divorce.) Nate replied awkwardly.

"Je suis vraiment désolé " (I'm so sorry.)

"Ne le soit pas. Ça ne s'est pas trop mal passé, et Sam était d'accord. Maggie et moi sommes tout simplement tombés amoureux de quelqu'un d'autre." (Don't be. It wasn't bad, and Sam is okay with it. Maggie and I just fell in love with other people.) Nathan hadn't meant to say quite so much, but he  
had slipped. Sophie didn't miss it.

"Et qui aimes tu?" (And who do you love?) Sophie questioned, one perfect eyebrow raised.

"Maggie est tombée amoureuse de John. C'est un homme bien. Il va prendre soin d'elle." (Maggie fell for John. He's a good man. He'll take care of her.) Nathan carefully avoided answering the rest of the question, hoping Sophie would let it go. No such luck. She rested her chin in her left hand and  
took another long sip of champagne.

"Et toi? De qui es-tu amoureux Nate ?" (And you? Who did you fall for Nate?) Sophie's voice was very quiet, and her cinnamon eyes were intense.

"_N'est-ce pas évident? Je chasse les voleurs dans le monde entier. Il n'est donc pas surprenant que l'un d'entre eux ait volé mon coeur. " (It's not obvious? I chase thieves around the entire world. It's not  
surprising that one stole my heart.) Nathan tried once again to dodge the question. Sophie's eyes lit up, intrigue on her face. She wasn't going to let him out of this._

"Et qui est ce voleur ?" (And who is the thief?) She pressed. Nathan took a deep breath and jumped off the deep end.

"_Celle qu'on m'a envoyé attraper à Paris. Une voleuse qui est dans un petit café, à une petite table, avec moi maintenant." (One whom I was sent to catch in Paris. One at a little café, at a little table, with me now.) He replied smoothly. Sophie leaned back with a satisfied expression._

"Enfin." (Finally.)

_The scene changed. They were at Leverage Headquarters, older now, and Nathan Ford wasn't an IYS agent down on his luck anymore. He was the Black King, instead of the White Knight, and he was the leader of thieves that he had once chased._

"_Why her? Why Theresa?"_

"_I don't know." Sophie replied, looking away. "Well, her man's gone to jail for fifteen years, and she's waiting for him… for fifteen years…" Sophie turned introspective, looking meaningfully at Nate at the end of her question. "Do you have any idea how hard it is… to wait for someone?"_

_The scene changed again, and Nathan and Sophie were back at the little café in Paris, standing this time. Sophie was pacing, looking weary._

"_Je ne peux pas t'attendre éternellement Nate. Il arrive toujours un moment où on doit faire un choix."( I can't wait forever Nate. You have to choose at some point. )_

"J'ai besoin de plus de temps." (I need more time.) Nate protested. Sophie rounded on him, her eyes flashing.

"Quand arrêteras tu d'avoir toujours besoin de plus de temps ?" She demanded. He anger subsided as quickly as it had come, and she looked away. "Ou est-ce que je dois partir? Je ne vais pas rester éternellement. Pas sans toi. Tu m'as dit que tu m'aimais." (Will you ever stop needing more  
time Nathan? Or should I leave? I won't stay forever. Not without you. You told me you loved me.)

"Je t'aimais. Et je t'aime encore."( I did love you. I love you still.) Nathan told her earnestly. She looked up at him, tears in her beautiful eyes.

"Alors… qu'es-ce que tu attends?" (Then… what are you waiting for?) Sophie stepped closer, looking up at him. Nathan stood, conflicted, then abruptly made his decision.

The incessant ringing of Nathan's phone brought him out of sleep, and he cursed. He sat up, feeling irate because he hadn't gotten to finish his dream, and that he had actually dreamed most of it in French. He knew too many languages.

Nathan grabbed his phone and opened it without looking at the number. "What?" He growled.

"Nate? I need your help." Nathan sat up at the familiar voice on the phone, one that he hadn't heard in almost seven years.

"I'm listening." He promised. He listened intently for several moments, then cursed. "Okay. I'm already on it, but I won't be on it alone. I'll call you back." He hung up and dialed Sophie's phone. She answered on the fourth ring.

"Nate, what's this about? It's too early."

"This is important Sophie. Robin just called me, and Kyler needs our help."

"What happened?"

"Call Hardison and Parker, and tell them to be at the building in an hour. I'll explain then." Nathan hung up the phone and got dressed, stuffing a hat on over his curled hair, then headed to the office with a sense of purpose that Nathan Ford hadn't felt in a very long time.


	2. Personal Case

The Leverage team sat at the long table in the briefing room, coffees in hand, all watching their mastermind pace the room in agitation. For almost ten minutes, there was silence.

Eliot broke it. "Nate, what the hell did you call us for at seven thirty in the morning if you weren't going to tell us?" He demanded. Nathan flapped a hand in Eliot's direction, muttering to himself.

Eliot stood up angrily, and Sophie placed a gentle hand on his arm, always the peace keeper. "Eliot." She said quietly. She stood herself and took Nate's hand, then led him into her office. "Nate, talk to me. What's wrong? You said something about Robin and Kyler. Did something happen?"

"It's personal." Nate replied, his gaze far away.

"What is?"

"This case! It's personal, and it's dangerous! How am I supposed to convince them to take it? If it weren't for the fact that it's Robin and Kyler, I wouldn't even take the case! It's completely subjective." Nathan ranted, pushing past Sophie to pace her office. Sophie grabbed Nathan's shoulder and pushed him into her chair, holding him there.

"We did the church case, and that was personal." She pointed out. "Aimee and Willie's case was personal for Eliot. Theresa's case was personal for me. Even Parker ended up taking the orphan case to heart. We've all done it. This one is no different. It's ok_ay _ to have a personal case. I'll take it, for one. Just go and tell them what the case is. They'll take it too." She brought him back into the briefing room and sat down, letting him take the floor. Nathan put his hands, palms down, on the table, leaning over it.

"Hardison, what can you find me about Robin and Kyler O'Sullivan?" Nathan asked. Hardison brought up a picture of two adults, with green eyes and red hair.

"The O'Sullivan twins: Kyler and his sister, Robin. Born in Dublin, moved to the US when they were nine. Grew up there, then moved back to Dublin ten years ago. Close as twins can be. Really family-oriented people."

"Keep reading Hardison. Tell us about their personalities." Nathan ordered.

"Um, Robin is a fun-loving girl. Likes to go to clubs and be around people. Kyler is quieter. He likes to be alone. Known to go off for days at a time and not tell anybody where he's going. Looks like he's pulling that now."

"Actually, that's not completely true." Nathan replied. "Kyler has a tendency to disappear, yes, but he never goes anywhere without letting his sister know. He didn't tell Robin, and she thinks he's missing."

"How do you know that he just didn't want to tell her, or didn't have time?" Eliot asked. "Maybe they got into a fight?"

"No. That's not it. If Kyler didn't tell Robin that he was leaving, he didn't plan to go." Nathan explained. "He never goes off for more than six days. He's been gone for two weeks. If he hasn't come back yet, then he can't."

"And there are only two reasons that he can't. He's been captured, or he's been killed." Parker put in. Nathan nodded.

"Hardison, what can you find about their jobs?"

"Robin is a private business owner. A little fashion store."

"And Kyler?" Parker asked.

"He's in weaponry. Renshaw Arms Company." Hardison read. "Seems like an odd profession for a quiet guy."

"Tell me about Renshaw Arms." Nathan ordered. Hardison keyed in some information and brought up a picture of an angry-looking German man, as well as several other pictures.

"Looks like his company has had a number of Missing Persons in the last ten years or so. Investigations led to nothing. Company was exonerated." Hardison explained. Nathan nodded.

"Eliot? Do you have anything to add?"

"Yeah Nate. This company is seriously dangerous. They've been suspected of weapons smuggling so many times that I'm amazed they're still in business. They are, only because they have the money for bribes. Pretty substantial ones too. They're famous underground for the pulse rifle. It's a sniper rifle. An assassin's gun, but it's special. There's an automatic safety that can't be de-activated without a finger print, which means that each gun only works for one person, unless you have the override code. Only Renshaw himself has any of the codes, and no one knows where he keeps the records. The gun can zoom in so that you can get a clear shot from almost a mile away, and you can get special bullets. DNA seekers."

"I didn't even know that was possible." Nathan murmured.

"Most people don't." Eliot replied. "This is the gun that led me to not like guns."

"This is the God of the God of guns." Hardison threw in. "I mean, this thing could make you a sandwich, mow your lawn, and still shoot someone in the head, all at the same time."

"It's quiet too. The thing going off sounds like a beat of your pulse, hence the name." Eliot said. "Warren Renshaw is probably one of the most dangerous people on the planet."

"Yep." Nathan nodded and straightened up. "And he's our guy."

"You're kidding, right?" Eliot asked incredulously.

"No." Nathan replied. "I'm very serious."

"Nate, this guy would kill us all, without turning a hair." Eliot said. "If he's got O'Sullivan, then guy's dead."

Nathan flinched and looked down at the table. "I don't believe that. If Kyler had died, Robin would know. She wouldn't have me for help."

"How do you know?"

"I know them." Nathan said simply. "Robin and Kyler O'Sullivan moved to America when they were nine. They were my neighbors, and my best friends growing up. Once, at their house, a vase fell from the shelf and hit Kyler's shoulder. The next day, he felt fine, and Robin had the bruise. She would know."

"Alright, so Kyler is alive." Hardison acquiesced.

"But we don't even know if Renshaw is responsible for his disappearance." Eliot interjected.

"Six missing persons?" Parker cut in skeptically. "I would say that there's a good chance that it's Renshaw."

"I would have to agree." Sophie admitted.

"Seriously Boss, this guy is bad news."

"Yes, he is." Nathan replied. "And he'll be even worse news if he keeps manufacturing all those weapons and keeps causing people to disappear. If you don't want to take the case, Eliot, feel free to sit this one out."

"So you can go get your drunk ass killed? I don't think so." Eliot shook his head. "There's no way I'm having that on my conscience."

"Okay. Miss Devereaux, how's your 'Irish'?"

"You should know." Sophie replied. Nate smiled wryly.

"Yes, did I catch you trying to steal the Blarney Stone?" He recalled. "Pack your bags, kiddies. We're off to Ireland. We need five plane tickets Hardison, leaving today, preferably. Make it happen."

"What IDs do y'all have?"

"Lindsey Gillman." Parker said. "There's no way I'm playing flight attendant again."

"I'm flying Air Marshall." Eliot got up.

"Sophie? Have anything Irish?"

"Cormac, Gallagher, Flaherty, Everard."

"I have a Kevin Everard." Nate cut her off.

"Shannon." Sophie replied, pulling out their two karat 'wedding rings' and offering them to Nathan. He slid one into place on her fourth finger and she tried very hard not to enjoy the moment. Her expression was one of business, betraying nothing.

"There are only four seats in first class. There's not enough room for all of us, unless at least one person sits in coach." Hardison was frowning at his computer. Parker spoke up.

"I vote Nate."

"I vote Parker." Parker shot Eliot a glare, and he shrugged.

"I vote Eliot." Hardison told them.

"I vote Hardison." Nathan said, figuring that it would be easiest to trust Hardison not to do anything stupid. They all looked at Sophie, the deciding vote.

"I'll take it." Sophie said, shrugging. Nate unthinkingly shot the idea down.

"No. Come on guys, think about this. Sophie and I are married, so we need to sit together. That makes us first class."

"I'm getting y'all tickets, so I get first class." Hardison cut in. Nathan raised a hand, conceding the point.

Eliot and Parker looked at each other. Eliot spoke. "I sat in coach last time."

"I was on my feet the whole time, in _heels_!"

"At least you got exercise."

"Oh, you knocking a guy out in the bathroom doesn't count for exercise?"

"You got to go into cargo and figure out what was going on!"

"Guys-" Nathan said. His thieves ignored him.

"And I was in cargo while the plane fell, while you got to sit!"

"I had to deal with that girl-"

"The one I had to bring ginger-ale to every ten seconds?! She wasn't only your problem!"

"Well you-"

"GUYS!" Nathan belted out the word, and they fell silent. Nathan ran a hand down his face wearily. "Hardison, put them both in coach."

"Wha-" Eliot started. Nathan held up a hand.

"If you're going to bicker like children, then neither of you will be in first class." Nathan told them. Eliot scoffed, irritated.

"Paternal instincts acting up Nate?" He asked. "Too long since you've been able to use them on someone? We're not your kids."

Nathan frowned, thinking of Sam. Sophie went to his side and laid a comforting hand on his arm, shooting a glare at Eliot.

"Alright, the flight leaves at noon. I'll see you guys there." Hardison shut down the laptop and left. Parker followed after him. Eliot frowned.

"…Sorry Nate." He said quietly. Nathan looked up, anger concealing his sadness.

"Yeah, I bet you are. I'll see you at the airport Eliot." Chastised and dismissed, Eliot left Nathan alone with Sophie.

"Nate?" Sophie gently led Nathan to his chair and he sat down, wishing that he had a glass of something alcoholic. "Don't be hard on him. You know that he was just angry."

"We need to work on his social skills." Nathan replied, feeling very much like a parent.

"That's true." She perched on the edge of the table, leaning against it, but not quite sitting. "Come on. You need to go home and pack."

"I know…"

"Do you want me to come with you and give you some company? I have a bag that I keep travel ready all the time, so I don't need to pack."

Nathan considered what he wanted. To be alone, or to have Sophie for company? "I'll see you at the airport." He told her. He had a bag he kept packed all the time too, but he really needed some time to think. He stood up slowly. "Thanks though." Sophie nodded, looking worried, but left him to his memories of his shattered life.


	3. An Honest Man's Vice

"Where are they?" Eliot demanded.

"What's wrong?" Sophie asked, coming up behind the thieves. "Where's Nate?"

"Good question." Hardison said dryly.

"He's not here yet?" Sophie frowned worriedly.

"No. We were hoping he'd be with you." Eliot sighed, looking around. "We have to go through Customs soon, so if he doesn't show up…"

"Go ahead. I'll wait for him." Sophie told them, automatically taking command. The thieves obeyed, and Sophie called Nate. The phone rang once, twice…

"Yeah?"

"Where are you? We'll miss the flight." Nate cursed.

"I'm almost there. Go in and I'll catch up."

"I'll wait."

"Sophie." Nate's voice was filled with authority. "If I don't make it, I need you there. Put the earpieces in and I'll see you on the plane."

"Hurry." Sophie urged. She hung up and rushed after the team. In her seat in first class, the window seat saved for Nate, she fidgeted. "Come on… come on…."

"Relax." Nate's voice reached her through the earpiece. "I'm here."

"Thank God." Sophie exhaled in relief. "You had me worried."

"I could tell." Nate walked down the aisle and gave her a crooked smile. "But you should have known that I wouldn't let anything interfere with the job."

Sophie's expression soured as Nate slid past her and she got a whiff of alcohol on him. "Almost never." She corrected as he sat down. He looked confused. "You've been drinking."

"Aw Nate!" Eliot groaned from coach, while Parker muttered something that sounded like 'drunkard'. Nate scowled. "You're not going to ruin this one because you're a drunk."

"Eliot, stop it. I had a drink. It's no big deal." Nathan shrugged. "I'm not hurting anyone."

"Except yourself." Sophie muttered. She hadn't meant for Nathan to hear, but she had forgotten the earpieces. He heard her clearly and scowled out the window as the plane took to the air.

"Sophie, drop it. I'm fine." Nathan growled. She shot him a glare and picked up a magazine, leafing through it without seeing the words. She seethed internally, furious that Nathan couldn't see the affect that his alcoholism had on him. Furious with herself for watching him slowly destroy himself and being unable to stop him. He was wrong. He was hurting her too.

Eliot wasn't quite ready to drop it. "In a case as dangerous as this, we need you sober Boss." He warned.

"I'm not drunk." Nathan replied smoothly. "I've been drinking, but I'm not drunk."

"I've been stealing, but I'm not a thief." Sophie retorted. Nate pulled out his earpiece, cutting off the chuckling in his head, and glared at Sophie.

"We are not having this conversation." Nate said quietly. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"Except that you're an alcoholic in denial." Sophie snorted. "Real normal Nathan."

"Drop it. I'm not arguing with you about this."

"Avoiding it? That's sure to help." Sophie hissed venomously. She fought back the tears in her eyes, and quickly lost the battle. Nathan noticed.

"Are you crying?"

"No. I'm angry." Sophie pulled her earpiece out as well. She was the best grifter she knew of, and the finest actress Nathan had ever seen, but she couldn't fool him. He knew that she was unhappy, but it wasn't his fault. She was overreacting. If she could silence her ridiculous, ever-present accusation that he was a drunk, maybe they would get along better. He wasn't going to apologize, He hadn't done anything wrong. Irate, he glared out the window.

Sophie fought valiantly, but the tears wouldn't stop. She turned away from Nate, glaring down the aisle and resigning herself to tears. Nathan Ford was the most stubborn, pig-headed, and infuriating man that she had met in her life. Why couldn't he just accept that he was wrong for once? Instead, he had to insist that he was just fine.

She remembered the flash of a gun, and Nate crying out in pain. Terror had flown through her, and she had forgotten about everything else in the world. His name came to her lips, and she screamed it as she ran to his side. She could still feel the weight of his head in her lap, the way he had been shaking from the pain. She had been completely helpless, unable to save him, and that was what scared he the most.

That sense of helplessness filled her now, and she felt the same edge of searing panic. He hadn't been shot this time, but he was still in trouble, and once again, Sophie couldn't do anything to save him. How could she protect Nate when he was the danger, hurdling down a path to self-destruction?

Sophie dismissed her fear, knowing that she would be of no use to Nathan if she was worrying about him. She brushed away the tears and put the magazine down. Nate was watching her warily, but the earlier anger was gone from his face, replaced by his ever-present calm.

He had acquired a drink while she had been mentally ranting. She lifted it up. "What is this?"

"Orange juice." Nathan replied readily. Sophie took a sip and grimaced as the taste of vodka-laced orange juice left a flash burn on her tongue. She replaced it, resolving not to lose her temper again.

"Some orange juice." She remarked dryly. She shook her head. "You never learn."

"What do you want me to do Soph?" Nate asked.

"I want you to take care of yourself." Sophie replied quietly, laying a hand on his arm. "I don't want another Juan incident."

"At the bank in Juan, I got shot. How is this related?" Nathan asked, a confused expression on his face that struck Sophie as adorable.

"I mean, you being in danger. I don't want you to risk being hurt." Sophie admitted. Nathan put his large hand on top of hers and squeezed it comfortingly. Touching wasn't really his thing, but he could make an exception.

"I know. Don't worry so much about me. I'm okay." He promised. Sophie knew that he wasn't, but she let the matter go. They put their earpieces back in. "Alright. What did we miss?"

"Nothing interesting." Hardison replied. "Parker and Eliot dropped out a while ago."

"Did they take out their earpieces?" Sophie asked.

"Probably." Nathan frowned, worrying.

"I'm going to make sure that nothing's wrong." Nathan stood up and went to coach, standing right at the entrance and looking around. He spotted them. Parker was sleeping, he head resting against Eliot's chest. Eliot had one arm around the thief, his face in her hair. He glanced up and gave Nathan a two fingered salute. Nathan touched his ear, and Eliot put his earpiece back in.

"Can you hear me?" Eliot nodded. "Good. Go ahead and let Parker sleep, but make sure than one of you is always on. I don't anticipate anything going wrong, but…"

"You got it boss." Nathan nodded and returned to his seat.

"Hardison, we're stopping in New, York, right? Then flying over the Atlantic."

"Yeah."

"Do we have tickets?" Sophie excused herself, heading for the bathroom.

"Yeah. We should land some time tonight. We'll overnight there and fly to Ireland tomorrow. That plane leaves at eight." Hardison said. "And we're all first class. Anyway, we should be in Ireland by tomorrow."

"If it all works out." Eliot murmured.

"And let's hope it does." Nathan said.

"Oops! I'm so sorry!" Sophie's American accent sounded in Nate's ear, and there was a masculine chuckle, and then a crash, and then Sophie's mumbled apologies.

Eliot laughed appreciatively. "Nice."

"Put it back Soph." Nathan said, taking a sip of his orange juice. Sophie was smooth and graceful. If she was bumping into people and knocking things down, then she was stealing a wallet and something else. "What is it? Diamonds?"

"Yeah. I'm so sorry." Sophie sounded like she was talking to the man, but Nathan knew that she was answering him.

"Give them back."

"But…"

"Sophie…"

"Um… you dropped your wallet sir." Sophie said obediently. There was a thanks, and then she fixed up whatever she had knocked over and returned to her seat. Nathan grabbed her wrist and pulled her sleeve back to reveal diamond earrings.

"Sophie?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"I'll stop stealing when you stop drinking." Sophie replied icily. Nathan let her wrist go, frowning. She won this time. The rest of the flight passed slowly, with mild conversation between the thieves. The plane landed at around two, and they decided to just stay at the airport until morning. Parker slept, leaning against Eliot and Hardison leaned against her. Nate and Sophie stayed up a bit later, discussing a plan quietly.

"We should probably get some sleep." Nathan said, exhausted. He leaned back on the little couch he was sitting on. He felt Sophie sit beside him.

"You're probably right." Sophie said. She didn't make a move to get comfortable, and Nathan watched her for a moment, then lifted his right arm, offering her a spot.

"You're not going to sleep sitting up, are you?" He asked. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. She snuggled close, pulling her feet up beside her and resting her head against his shoulder.

Parker was the first to wake up, and saw Sophie, curled up against Nathan's side, encircled in his arms, her head buried in his chest. Nathan had fallen asleep with his cheek pressed into Sophie's hair. Sophie shifted closer in her sleep, and Nathan held her tighter against his side.

Parker sat up and roused Hardison and Eliot, who then woke Sophie and Nathan. The would-be couple woke at the same time, and Sophie looked up, meeting Nate's eyes. She smiled at his blush and got up. He followed suit.

On the plane, Sophie fell asleep again, her head resting against Nathan's shoulder. A flight attendant came by. "Can I get you anything sir?" Nate looked at the attendant, then at Sophie, then back at the attendant.

"No thanks."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note: It seems a mighty hopeful ending to me, and I couldn't resist throwing in a bit of Sophie/Nate love. The hounding Nate about drinking was necessary, although I don't want this fic to be all about Nate being a hopeless alcoholic. I've just noticed that Sophie has been getting more and more fed up with Nate's drinking, and after the Snow Job, it seemed appropriate. The hounding isn't going to last, although Sophie might make a jibe here and there about it, because that's what she does. I'm less satisfied with this chapter than the last. I rushed a bit towards the end, but honestly, there's only so much to do on a plane, and the full flight's worth of conversation would be a hundred some pages. The same can be said about arriving at an airport around two in the morning to get on another plane the next day. The only things you can really do are talk and sleep. Forgive the rush, and please tell me what you think.


	4. Resented Reunions

"Alright guys. We're here." They had gotten a rental car after leaving the airport and Nate had driven to the O'Sullivan cottage, a small home in Dublin. The house was set on a hill, and there were plants all around it. Nathan was happy to be here. He had driven with Sophie acting as navigator. It had reminded him of trips made with Maggie reading the map, Sam in the backseat. Only this time he was in a car with a grifter reading the map, and three full-grown thieves in the backseat. His family certainly had changed.

He went up to the door and knocked sharply as the team gathered around him. The door opened to reveal a slight woman with alarmingly green eyes and layered red hair. She was pretty, and still retained her youth. She was a year younger than Nathan, but looked to be in her early thirties. Her emerald eyes widened as she took in the unlikely group at the door. Nathan was the last person her eyes alighted on, and she looked astonished. "Nate?"

"Robin." Sophie was surprised at the level of affection in his voice. Nathan didn't get attached anymore. He had lost too much to allow himself to get really close to anything. He was afraid of that kind of pain. But the affection rang true in his voice, and it was apparent when Robin threw herself into his arms, sobbing against his chest and ruining his shirt.

Nate hugged her, holding her close to himself comfortingly. Sophie couldn't ignore the jealousy welling up in her. How long had she been waiting for Nate to feel comfortable holding her safely in his arms? Why didn't his careful no-touching rule apply to Robin?

"Come inside Robin. It's going to be alright." Nate promised. He took her inside, never removing his arm from her shoulders, and the rest of the team followed him, Sophie bringing up the rear.

Nathan led Robin to the living room and sat down with her on the couch. Hardison, Eliot, and Parker all made themselves comfortable, finding something to lean against. Sophie stood off to the side, feeling very off beat, and watching Nate attempt to calm his hysterical friend. He looked up at his grifter. "Can you go and get a glass of water? The kitchen is just through there."

Sophie went obediently, meekly even. She couldn't work it out in her head. That morning, she had woken up at his side, had slept on his shoulder through the plane ride. What had happened that Nate was sending her on errands now? She found a glass and filled it with water, then took a minute to get herself under control before she went back out.

Robin had calmed down, and she accepted the water with a smile and a murmured thank you, then took a drink. Nathan was watching her every move anxiously, and Sophie analyzed his body language. He was turned very slightly towards her, and one arm was behind her back. His left hand was resting on his knee, and Sophie was astonished to realize that Nate was completely at ease. She hadn't seen him sit without one hand fisted, or a tense set to his shoulders since they had been playing cop and robber, chasing each other all over Europe. The realization made her anxious, but she ignored the sentiment. She was here to help Nathan, and she would do just that, despite the bitterness and jealousy that festered within her.

"Nate, it's so good to see you again!" Robin had finally stopped crying, and leaned in to give Nate a kiss on the cheek. He smiled easily. "There's so much I want to know. How are Maggie and Sam?"

The smile vanished, and the tenseness returned as Nathan pulled his arm in close, the hand on his knee clenching into a fist, and his shoulders contracted. He looked away, at the floor. "Maggie and I got a divorce. We don't really talk anymore. Sam… Sam got sick, and…. he didn't get… better." Nathan mumbled the end. Sophie started towards him, always ready to be a comforting presence.

Robin beat her to it. "Nate, I'm so sorry." She hugged her friend, but Nathan tolerated the hug this time, instead of returning it. The reminder of his loss had brought back the pain-hardened Nate, and the tenderness and affection had evaporated. He was hiding under his carefully controlled leader that Sophie was so used to. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better." Nate admitted. He glanced up at his team thoughtfully. "But I've been a lot worse."

Robin looked up as well and smiled. "If you've been helping Nate cope, then I owe you."

"Our pleasure, Ms. Robin." Eliot said politely, smiling. "Nate's grown on us. I'm Eliot Spencer, by the way."

"I'm Alec Hardison." Hardison raised his hand lazily.

"Parker. No first name," Parker said. Robin looked expectantly at Sophie as she took another sip.

"Sophie." Robin choked, coughed, and looked at Nate in horror. "Not _that_ Sophie. You can't mean Sophie… what was it? Devr..."

"Devereaux." Sophie told Robin calmly. "Yes, that's me."

"Nathan, she's a thief!" Robin exclaimed. Sophie scowled and Nathan looked up at the grifter.

"Yes she is." He said proudly. "You'll never see a finer actress." Sophie smiled.

"Isn't your company angry that you're consorting with a known criminal?" Robin looked at Sophie with considerable disdain.

"Who? IYS? I'm sure they'd be furious. They would probably fire me, if I still worked there. " Nathan said. "I'm the manager of Leverage Consulting and Associates now. These are my partners."

"You have a thief for a partner?"

"Yes, but Sophie isn't the thief. Sophie's a grifter. Parker's the thief. Hardison is my hacker, and Eliot is my retrieval specialist."

"What business do you have with criminals?"

"Nate's the White Knight." Sophie said. "And the Black King."

"The mastermind behind our cons." Parker added.

"Nate chooses the jobs that help people." Hardison elaborated.

"He's the honest man who keeps us together." Eliot finished simply.

Robin looked at Nathan, who had nothing to offer but a shrug. "It started out as one job, and then… I don't know. We realized that we work well together. They agreed to let me choose the jobs that help people who get hurt by the bad guys. That's why we're here."

"We're going to find your brother Robin." Sophie said softly.

"And bring down the bastard behind all this." Eliot added.

"You heard it from them." Nathan shrugged. "I have the people who are the best at what they do. They haven't let me down yet, and I'm not about to let this be the first time."

"Are you sure you can trust them?" Robin asked. Parker rolled her eyes, Eliot scoffed, Hardison shook his head, and Sophie sighed. Nate answered without a moment's hesitation.

"With my life." He told her confidently. "They've saved it before."

"But, thieves-"

"Are people, just like you." Sophie cut Robin off. "Whether we obey the law or not, we can still make friends. None of the criminals in this room would betray Nate any more than you."

"Before we met Nate, we all worked alone." Parker said.

"With no exceptions." Eliot added. Hardison smiled.

"And now we're all working together."

"Robin, you can trust them." Nathan promised. He stood up and went to his thieves. Sophie moved automatically to her place at his right side. "Tell us what you know."

"He had stayed up the night before. Kyler had come home looking… haunted. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong, which was unusual. He tells me everything. I tried to stay up with him, but I ended up falling asleep around four. I slept late and assumed that Kyler had gone to work, but he never came home. He wouldn't leave without telling me."

"I know." Nathan assured her. He frowned. "Looking haunted?"

"Sounds like he found something he didn't want to see." Eliot remarked.

"Which means he probably wasn't supposed to see it." Sophie replied.

"I'm thinking the same thing." Nate nodded absently. "What I don't get is why they left him alive if he knows something he shouldn't?"

"You think they might need him for something?" Hardison suggested.

"Like what?" Parker asked.

"Poisoned bullets." Robin spoke quietly. "That's what they had him working on. The poison would kill quickly and efficiently, with little pain. The poison was laced with narcotics or numbing solutions. God, he hated the job."

"Why did he keep it? Kyler has never like violence."

"Because it pays, and mortgage has been going up. No one will listen to us. Besides, Kyler thinks that maybe he can come up with something that kills quickly enough that it won't cause pain at all. He's trying to eliminate suffering."

"That sounds like Kyler." Nate said quietly.

"Bet the mortgage increase is Renshaw's doing." Eliot said. Nate nodded.

"Probably, and a good chemist isn't exactly expendable." Nate fell silent, thinking, with his knucles against his jaw. Robin opened her mouth to speak, but Sophie shot her a look that made the words die in her throat. Sophie was satisfied and turned her attention back to Nate. He was coming up with a plan, and this Nate, Sophie knew better than anyone. The hand at his mouth lowered, and a dangerous ilght glinted in Nathan's eyes. "I think it's time for Renshaw Arms to get a new employee. A chemist, to be exact. Eliot, how well do you know the subject?"

"Me?" Eliot asked, stunned.

"Yes. I need Hardison and Parker to stay inconspicuous, and I have a special job planned for Sophie." Nate replied briskly. He gave them a shark-like smile, with a lot of teeth and no mirth. "We're going to run a game on Warren Renshaw."


	5. No Easy Solution

"It's an impressive résumé, Mr. Cunningham."

"Thank you sir." Eliot smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. For the last two days, the team had created Eliot's character. Nathan had come up with a résumé for Alexander Cunningham, an American chemist who had worked on several projects, most of them concerning poisons. According to Nate, Eliot had worked with three pest control agencies all over the world. Nathan had embellished a bit, because apparently, Eliot's book would be coming out in the spring. Sophie had done her part by going and spending a massive amount of money on a wardrobe for him, and Parker had even helped, by stealing him a few white coats from a nearby research center. None of them had gone as far as Hardison, however. Eliot now had a new alias, with a license, birth certificate, social security number, and a few awards. All the information could be found on several new internet sites, among the lists of great scientists, on almost every research site Hardison could find, and Eliot enjoyed the fact that Hardison had even made a page for him on Wikipedia. None of it, however, compared to the fact that Hardison had credited Eliot with finding a new element to add to the periodic table, aptly named Spencerium. The computer geek had really outdone himself. The care that Nate was taking in this case astonished them all.

"So, why did you decide to apply to the company?" Renshaw asked pleasantly, setting aside the résumé.

"Well, Mr. Renshaw, I've always loved chemistry." Eliot said. "And I got into working with poisons. Nothing unusual… rats, ants, your basic pests. But I was good at it, and I was looking for a company to really do some good for, and I had several people telling me to look into your company."

"I'll look into your résumé and get back to you soon."

"Ooh. That won't work." Nathan murmured. "Three days, no more. Give him a time limit, Eliot. _Make _him choose to keep you." The mastermind was pacing behind Hardison, who had hacked into the company's camera system.

"Be careful though." Sophie cautioned. "Keep it subtle. Don't let him feel threatened."

Eliot nodded, and the criminals understood it to be directed towards them. "Thank you Mr. Renshaw." Eliot shook his mark's hand. "May I see the résumé? I need to add the number you can reach me AT in America. I'll be leaving in three days for an interview at a research center."

"Eliot, what are you doing?" Nathan growled. "Don't piss him off!"

"Relax Nate. It's a good idea." Sophie said soothingly. Nate looked at her incredulously.

"You're both running on the same psycho frequency?"

"Shh!" Sophie hissed. Renshaw was speaking.

"What's the company?"

"The American Chemistry Society." Eliot replied readily.

"You admit that this isn't your only choice?"

"This is my first choice sir, but I need money too badly to risk it all in one place." Eliot said quietly, looking away. His body language said that he was closed off, uncomfortable, and when he spoke again, he spoke hesitantly. "I might have to just accept anything soon, especially if my little brother doesn't start improving."

"Eliot, you're overdoing it. Get out of there before he decides that you're manipulating him." Nathan ordered. Sophie put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Give him time." She said quietly. "Go ahead Eliot."

"Your brother?"

"He's in a physical therapy, trying to walk again. The bills are getting higher, and the center is struggling." Eliot shook his head, acting well. "But my problems aren't yours, sir. Thank you for your time." He stood up and shook Renshaw's hand.

"It was my pleasure." Renshaw said. Eliot nodded, smiled, and left.

"Your little brother in therapy?" Nate asked. Eliot went to Renshaw's receptionist to sign out.

"I was using Corporal Perry as inspiration. We can fill him in and give him a fake ID if we have to. He'll go for it." Eliot said. "He owes us."

"That's pretty smart." Parker told him. "He'd probably be happy to help."

"Since we helped pay for his treatment." Hardison added.

Nate sighed. "Hardison, give Alexander Cunningham a brother. Robert Cunningham should be 25, and was shot in service. Get him an ID, birth certificate, enlistment number, the usual. Get it to Perry as soon as possible. Yesterday, if you can manage it."

"I'm good, but not that good." Hardison chuckled.

"Oh well. Sophie, can you call the Corporal and ask him for the favor. Need to know information only. Nothing to get him into trouble. "

"Alright." Sophie went over to the window and called. "Hello? I'd like to speak with Corporal Robert Perry. This is Sophie."

"Eliot, get back here."

"You got it Boss." Eliot drove to their headquarters, a rented office not far from the Renshaw Building.

"Parker, how are you doing?"

"Fine. " Parker had nothing to do, and Nathan had sent her on a stay-out-of-trouble mission. She was in charge of finding the company's records and making copies of them. Over the course of the day, she had stolen four or five cards that would get her anywhere in the building that she wanted to go.

"Thank you Corporal. Take care." Sophie hung up the phone and turned away from the window, surveying the room. Hardison was at his computer, watching Renshaw look over Eliot's résumé. Robin sat on a couch in the corner, watching Nathan pace behind Hardison with acute awareness. "Perry says he's happy to help."

"Good. I don't like that we're putting him in danger, but if we play our cards right, he shouldn't be in any danger. Just to be safe, Hardison send Perry all the information about Eliot's alias and a life story for himself as well. I don't think that we'll be able to protect him any better than that."

"Nate, he'll be fine. They won't hurt him." Sophie assured him. Nate nodded, but his agitation didn't fade.

"Nate, it's okay." Robin went to Nate and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his chest. "Trust me."

"I do." Nathan promised. Eliot came through the door, and Nathan pulled away from Robin. "Parker, Eliot's done. Get out of there."

"I'm at the copy machine. I'll be there as soon as I put the documents back where they belong."

"Okay. In the interest of being inconspicuous, we need to go separate ways." Nate said. Hardison, you and Robin go back to her house, drop her off, and meet us at the hotel."

"You're not coming with me Nate?" Robin asked.

"I was going to stay and be coordinator." Nathan replied, a bit awkwardly.

"Can't you do that just as well through the ear pieces?"

"I guess." Nate shuffled uncomfortably. He didn't want to stay if Robin wanted him with her, but he didn't want to leave Sophie, Eliot, and Parker. He looked at the grifter, but she was facing away from him, staring out the window at the moon.

"You should go." Sophie's voice wouldn't have been heard if not for the earpiece. "It's probably not a good idea to send her home alone with any of us until she learns that she can trust us."

"Do you want to come?" Nate asked, just as quietly.

Sophie gave the moon a sad smile. She had been so hoping that he would choose to stay with her. "I think I'll stay and keep Eliot company."

"If you're sure…" Nate murmured. She wasn't. He raised his voice to its normal volume. "I'll come along."

"Thanks Nate." Robin gave him a glowing smile, and he returned it easily. Hardison led the way out the door, and Robin took Nathan's hand, leading him out to. Sophie saw, and Nate caught the flash of pain on her face before she turned away. He stumbled after Robin, letting the door swing shut behind them. Eliot looked at Sophie.

"You okay?"

"Of course." Sophie cleared her throat. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason." Eliot replied idly. "No reason at all."

Sophie scowled. Nate was right. They did need to teach Eliot better manners.

She listened to the team talking in her head, catching what Robin said as well. Hardison and Nate were telling the story of how the team got together.

"So we went to get Sophie." Nate was saying. "Because we needed an actor, and you won't find a better actress than Soph." Sophie smiled, tuning out of the conversation and staring out at the Irish evening. She didn't know how much time had passed when Nathan got her attention.

"Sophie? You there?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes." Sophie shook herself, pulling back to reality. "What was it?"

"We're picking up food. Do you want anything in particular?"

"No. I'll eat whatever." Sophie told him.

"Hey, I'm finished." Parker said. "I'm coming your way."

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do." Nate said, all business. "Eliot, go to the car now, then go and pick up Parker. Come back to get Sophie, so that someone can assume it's someone else."

You got it." Eliot headed out, leaving Sophie alone in the dark office. Without an audience, Sophie allowed her restless worry to slip through her always in control façade. She tapped her foot on the floor, then started pacing. Robin was making her nervous. The Irish woman was too comfortable hugging Nate, or getting close to him. Closer than Nathan had ever let _her _get.

Sophie Devereaux wasn't the kind of woman who kept what was bothering her secret, especially not from Nathan. She was an expert at hiding who she really was, so why was it so hard to hide from Nate? She saw headlights as Eliot pulled up again, and she headed out, climbing surreptitiously into the backseat.

"We're on our way." Eliot said.

"We'll see you at the hotel."Nate said.

"Nate, why stay at a hotel? We have another room." Robin said.

"What kind of coordinator would I be if I didn't stay with my team?" Nate asked.

"They'd understand." Robin said brightly. "I mean, it's a convenience thing, isn't it? You work with them because of their skills, and they work with you because you're a good planner."

"It's not quite-"

"Nate, can I talk to you _alone?_" Robin interrupted.

"Uh… sure." Nathan said. He pulled his earpiece out and pocketed it, effectively cutting off communication to the thieves.

"I'm not sure what to make of Robin…" Sophie said quietly.

"I am." Parker said derisively. "I don't like her. We're not evil just because we're thieves. And she pays way too much attention to Nate."

"Ex-girlfriend." Eliot analyzed. "She has feelings for him."

"That's ridiculous." Hardison said.

"Hello? He was her boyfriend at one point. That's obvious. Then he got married and had a kid, making him unavailable. She wanted him even more. Then, make him disappear for a few years. She calls him, looking for comfort, and he shows up at her house two days later with a team of thieves, telling her that he's going to save her brother. He's single now, and has all that pain behind him to make him guarded. Now he's mysterious too. Honestly, I don't think that he's ever been more attractive to Robin. She's got the hots for him, and I think he's got 'em for her too. She still looks young, and she's pretty. She's a bit of his past, a connection to when his life was better. I don't think he loves her like she does him, but he's definitely considering staying with her." Eliot reasoned. Parker took a kidney shot. "OW!"

"Don't listen to this idiot Sophie. You know how Nate feels about you."

She knew how he _said_ he felt about her, but he was too careful around her for her to just believe that things would work out.

"What do you mean, 'go to the hotel'?!" Hardison demanded indignantly. "What about you?"

"I'm… I'm staying with Robin tonight."

"Told you." Eliot said.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Sophie, you alright with having the room to yourself tonight?"

"Of course. It's a relief that I don't have to listen to you snore." Sophie said waspishly. It was underhanded. Nate didn't snore. "Goodnight Nate." She pulled her earpiece out as the car pulled up to the hotel. She climbed out, grabbed her suitcase, and went to the room that she had been looking forward to sharing with Nathan. It looked huge and lonely to her eyes, the two queen sized beds cold. Still dressed, she sat down and hugged a pillow, telling herself not to cry. She didn't succeed, and tears spilled out onto the pillow as she hugged her knees to her. It was going to be a very long night alone, thinking of Nathan and Robin at his old friend's house. She didn't know what to do. There was no way to get out of this.


	6. More Than We Can Chew

"Sophie…" Nate had come in the hotel room to find his roommate asleep in an extremely uncomfortable looking position. She sat with her back against the headboard with her knees curled up against her chest. A pillow was between her legs and body, with a corner poking out from over one knee. Her head was on the corner, and she was hugging herself. Nathan was as unaccustomed to her closed off body language as she was to his open body language, and he frowned in concern. He wondered how Sophie had possibly fallen asleep like that.

Robin had wanted him to stay, and so he had reluctantly agreed. They had stayed up talking. Not about the plan, but about their lives. Robin had listened with unwavering attentiveness as he told her the story of his life since they had last spoken. His escapades with the thieves amused her, and he soon had her laughing from the thieves banter. He had noticed early on that she seemed less than enthusiastic whenever he mentioned Sophie, so he intentionally left out most of the banter between them. He told her about the thieves' personality types and talents. He noted that when he mentioned Sophie's lack of talent in the theatre, she looked pleased. It wasn't like Robin to take pleasure in other people's shortcomings and it worried him. He had asked her why she seemed to dislike the grifter so much. She had told him that, after all the times he had told her about Sophie running away from him in the past, and all the jokes and advances she had made, she didn't trust Sophie. Robin explained that Sophie was obviously in love with Nate, a fact that he had acknowledged readily enough. Robin told him that she was sure that Sophie would manipulate Nathan to her own ends, and that the Irishwoman was worried about him. He had answered vaguely, trying not to choose a side. In a way, Sophie _had_ manipulated him, but he hadn't fought as hard as he could have. He was no less free of blame than Sophie.

Rather than pursue the subject, he had asked Robin about her life up until Kyler's disappearance. She had enthusiastically updated him, going into great detail about how well her shop was going, and prattled on about sales and current fashions. Nate couldn't keep up with Robin any better than he could when Sophie tried to explain the difference between Calvin Klein and Dior. He listened, making a valiant effort to understand her, but in the end, he had listened to every minute detail about her store and still had no idea what she was talking about.

Eventually, she asked him about all the changes in his life. He had briefly touched on his fondness for alcohol, and she had promptly gotten them some bourbon from her liquor cabinet. She enjoyed watching him drink, because the old Nate hadn't been much of an alcohol connoisseur. While Nathan enjoyed the fact that he could drink without a lecture, it somehow wasn't the same without Eliot's sarcastic comments in his ear or Sophie trying to scam the drink away from him and delivering verbal barbs.

She started asking questions again, inquiring about the people they had known, who had been friends of Nate's and Maggie's when they had been married. Robin was disappointed when he admitted that he hadn't really talked to anyone he had once been good friends with in at least a year. She kept asking about his life with Maggie and Sam, asking all the questions that he couldn't answer. In the end, he had apologized very sincerely and told Robin that he needed to discuss the case with Eliot because he had overlooked something and didn't trust himself to remember in the morning. She had let him go, albeit grudgingly, and he had beat a hasty retreat to the hotel, where he had found Sophie. Now, he was attempting to wake her gently.

"Sophie." He said her name quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking it gently. "Soph, that can't be comfortable."

Sophie stirred and lifted her head, disoriented. Nate pulled the pillow away from her, replacing it behind her back. She looked at the clock- 2:46- then at the mastermind. "…Nate?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep. "I thought you were staying at Robin's."

"I was going to, but… I don't know… it felt fake somehow." Nathan sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I wasn't being real." He sat down on the bed beside her, and she sat up a bit more to give him room, tucking her feet beneath her body. "Sitting up with old friends, drinking bourbon and chatting?" He shook his head. "It was nice and all, but… I don't know."

"I think I do." Sophie said gently. "Catching up with old friends isn't who you are Nate." She stood up and went to her suitcase, digging out the pajamas she had never put on. "Once upon a time, you were a man for backyard barbeques and white picket fences, but things changed."

"No." Nate shook his head, disagreeing. "I did."

"Either way, that's not the life for you anymore." Sophie said, sitting at his side. "Now the life for you consists of elaborate cons and your little team of thieves."

"Is that what I've been reduced to?" Nathan asked, a bitter edge in his voice. For the first time, Sophie thought about how hard this must be for Nate. He had more or less broken all ties with his old life when his son died. He had fallen out with his friends, lost his wife, his job, and his son. Now, suddenly, here he was with an old friend, someone who knew the old Nate, and still expected that person from him. Nathan wasn't like that any more. He was more cautious about whom he allowed into his heart, afraid to face that kind of pain again. Robin was a reminder of the life he had lost. Of Maggie, Sam, and his job at the IYS. This case was personal for Nate, but he was paying dearly for it, putting himself through more pain than anyone should have to, for the sake of others. Typical Nathan. He could lead a thousand thieves and still be the White Knight. He was a hugely caring person, even if he hid it from the world.

"You haven't been reduced to anything Nate. You've changed, and the lord knows that you've lost a lot, but you've gained a pretty healthy amount as well. You haven't lost any part of yourself. You've managed to retain all your defining traits and you have us now too. We're not really that bad, are we?"

"You're not bad at all Sophie. None of you are." Nathan gave a half-chuckle. "I wouldn't work with you if you were."

"That's because we're your friends." Sophie replied. "Go on. Admit it."

"I never denied it."

"I know, but you've never said it either. Sometimes, you have to hear yourself say it for it to be true." Sophie said, tilting her head slightly to the left. Nathan smiled, even if it didn't reach his eyes.

"You're my friends." Nate said simply. Sophie nodded.

"We know."

Nate gave her a real smile. "Go get changed Sophie." He gestured towards the bathroom. "It's late, and you need sleep." Sophie stood up and paused, hovering in front of Nate. If ever there was a time to kiss him…

She went into the bathroom with a resigned sigh. Nathan wasn't ready to open his heart again yet, and, while Sophie still wasn't sure whether Nathan preferred her or Robin, she wasn't going to make him open up. When she had come back, she had told him that it was up to him to decide where they stood. He had made it very clear to her that he wasn't ready for a relationship. She would wait for him. As hard as waiting was, as badly as it might destroy her in the end, (and Sophie was acutely aware of the risk) she would wait. Had it been anyone else, she would have already given up and vanished. She had already considered the option, decided to leave, but she had stayed because of Nate. She had accepted that she wasn't going to leave. She doubted that she could. The smart thing to do would be to disappear to protect herself. Sophie had always chosen to protect herself, but this time she couldn't. Love was irrational that way.

Sophie exchanged her clothes for satin pajamas. She brushed her teeth exceptionally well and took a bit more time than necessary to comb through her hair, trying to give Nathan all the time he would need. Eventually, she decided that he had had enough time and emerged to find him in sweatpants and nothing else, reading that reports that Parker had copied.

Silently, she went to his side and stretched out on her side, propped up on her elbow and letting her hair spill over onto his arm. She studied the paper intently for a long moment.

"Notice something off?"

"Like how they buy the materials to make twice as much weaponry as they provide?" Sophie asked, scanning the page.

"I wonder where the rest goes." Nathan wondered aloud.

"I bet I know." Sophie said quietly. Nathan looked at her and raised an eyebrow in invitation for Sophie to elaborate.

"Where?"

Sophie looked at him seriously. "To the highest bidder."

"Weapons dealing." Nate frowned.

"What else?" Sophie moved closer, her hair tickling Nate's arm. "They produce all the weapons they can, give them to the army, and sell the rest under the table." She took the page out of his hands and read the next one. "They've been spending a lot of money on research." She observed, tapping her full lower lip thoughtfully.

"They're not only researching what they say they are. There's got to be more." Nathan looked through the pages in his hands. "Why has no one looked into this?"

Sophie plucked another page from his pile and scanned it, then ran a finger down a column on the page. "Look at how much money mysteriously vanishes from paycheck to paycheck." She said.

"That could be a clerical error." Nathan said. Sophie shook her head.

"I don't think so. Individually, there's not that much missing per check. That's easily written off as a clerical error. But add the deductions from each check together…"

Nathan did the math in his head, then whistled long and low. "That's quite a number."

"A slush fund, I bet. For bribes. No one bothers them, and meanwhile, people start to vanish."

Nathan put a new page on top of the pile: a list of the missing people. They were all chemists. Sophie fell silent, reading the information.

The company had gotten its start fifteen years previously at the hands of an ambitious Warren Renshaw, a man just out of the army. He started producing efficient weapons that were technologically superior to most, and had risen quickly to the top. He had seemed like a very philanthropic person, who had patriotically sought to help his country. Three years into the business, a chemist who worked for Renshaw Arms had disappeared. They investigation had come to nothing, and the case was left unsolved. After that, more and more of Renshaw's chemists had disappeared, with no trace. There had eventually been a trial, but the evidence wasn't sufficient to indict anyone, and the company was acquitted. The case had been dismissed.

Things quieted down for a time, at which point Kyler took his job at Renshaw Arms. Aside from the company purchasing more materials than it manufactured, the business ran smoothly. The lull had lasted six years, and it had been broken by Kyler's disappearance. Due to the Irishman's nature, no inquiry was made.

"That's it." Nathan breathed, struck by an epiphany. "They chose Kyler because he's flighty!"

"Maybe we could persuade Aimee to yell at Eliot for leaving when we know that Renshaw is listening."

"It _would_ be nice to have a man on the inside." Nathan admitted.

"And it's not as though Eliot can't take care of himself." Sophie added. Nate looked at another page, and the smile that had been threatening to break free vanished. Sophie read the paper as well, with growing apprehension.

Words like 'Korea', 'Prime Minister', and 'chemical warfare' stood out on the page. Sophie finished reading and looked at Nate. Her partner was staring at the page in horror.

"Nate?"

"This is bad." Nate whispered through numb lips.

"I think we may have more than we bargained for." Sophie told him. All that Nate could do was nod.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm more satisfied with this chapter than most of them. I think that I wrote this one better than any of the previous chapters, and am very satisfied that the story is officially picking up speed. I still need to develop Robin's character a bit, because she's mostly been seen through Sophie's eyes so far, and Sophie isn't too fond of Robin. Of course, what Eliot said before about Robin finding Nate attractive was completely true, but the character isn't as bad as she seems through Sophie's eyes. I'll probably put in a bit between Nathan and Robin, so that I can establish her more for who she's really supposed to be. Her character has more depth than I've managed to portray so far, and I want to bring that out. Anyway, tell me what you think, and what I can improve, and keep reading! I'll be updating again soon, I promise!


	7. When In Rome

Nathan woke up slowly, the sun in his eyes. With an irritated groan, he rolled over to an empty bed. He pondered this for a long moment before his tired mind could process it and assess what was wrong. He and Sophie had stayed up to all hours, discussing the information they had learned, and then fallen asleep where they were, which meant that the grifter _should_ be at his side. Only she wasn't. Then he heard the shower running, nodded to himself, and slipped into a state of half-sleep, eager for any more rest he could get.

Dimly, he was aware of Sophie finishing her shower and coming out, but he feigned sleep to give her what little privacy he could. He had deliberately gotten a room for them with two beds. He would have let Sophie room with Parker or by herself, but they had been pretending to be married when they had checked in. For the duration of the con, they would have to room together and try to allow each other privacy as best they could.

After a few minutes, he felt the weight on the bed as Sophie sat beside him, and then her small hand on his shoulder. "Nate," Her voice was as gentle as her touch. "It's morning. You have to get up now."

"I don't want to." Nate mumbled. Sophie chuckled, and he felt her breath tickle his cheek.

"Neither did I." She told him. She was battling herself. It would be so easy to close that distance. It would be the simplest thing in the world to move her hand to his well-defined chest and press her lips against that unshaven cheek. So easy, but was it what Nate wanted?

The answer to that question was yes. Nathan was having as much trouble fighting the urge to take Sophie's hand and pull her down with him. To turn his head and meet her full, soft lips with his. It had been such a long, lonely time since he had allowed anyone to get that close to him, and Sophie Devereaux was safe and kind. He knew that she wouldn't hurt him the way Maggie had. She loved him in a way that his ex-wife couldn't.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be with Sophie that stayed his hand. It was that he knew that she deserved better. He couldn't love her without feeling bad. She was a beautiful, sweet person and deserved better than a beat down and broken old alcoholic like him. He had no idea why she was so ready to love him. The old Nathan would have been good for her: The White Knight. That man had been more open and kind. He had lost that part of himself, and, even though Sophie had stolen his heart long ago, he was still reluctant to accept it.

So it was with great chagrin that Nathan pulled away and sat up. He turned and squinted at Sophie, who was framed by the sun's rays. She was silent for a moment, and then a giggle escaped her lips. He frowned, and she burst out laughing.

"What, pray-tell, is so funny?" He grouched, scowling.

"You should see yourself!" Sophie laughed and smoothed his wild hair down. "It must take you some time in the morning to look as presentable as you do!" She let out another laugh and his scowl deepened.

"How sweet of you. Remind me again why I got up." He pulled himself out of bed and lurched to the bathroom, trying to ignore her laughing. Twenty minutes later, he emerged, dressed and cleaned up, to find Sophie waiting with coffee and donuts. She handed him a cup and he raised an eyebrow. "First, you make fun of me and now you bring me food? You think you're getting off that easily?"

Sophie was surprised. "Are you_ joking_,Nate?" She asked, astonished. Nate took a donut and bit into it with a shrug. There was a knock on the door.

"Ya'll need to stop fooling around with each other in there and get dressed." Hardison announced from the hallway. Sophie went to the door, muttering something about 'ridiculous', then opened it to let the team in. Parker's dark expression brightened considerably when she saw the donuts, and she trotted over to the box readily. Hardison picked up a coffee, and Eliot grabbed one of each before the team settled comfortably into chairs and looked expectantly at Nate.

"So, what's on the agenda?" Eliot asked through a mouthful of donut.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Nate scolded. "We wait for Renshaw to give you the call, sometime in the next three days."

"So… what exactly is the plan?" Hardison asked. Nate took a sip of his coffee, frowned, and went to the liquor cabinet. After a moment's search, he emerged triumphantly with a small bottle of drambuie. He poured it into a little glass, took a sip, and then sat back down. Sophie plucked the glass from his hand, and he scowled at her and took a very dignified sip of coffee.

"The plan is simple. Eliot is going to make himself invaluable, so that there's no way Renshaw can choose _not_ to make him disappear."

"Nate, problem." Eliot said. Nate gestured for him to proceed. "I'm good at chemistry, but I'm not that good."

"So? Hardison will be with you, well, sort of. We'll plant a camera on you, and hack into Renshaw's camera system, and then Hardison can help from the safety of his own computer. The internet has good advice. Studying helps too, you know."

"Studying?"

"Yes. Learning information before you go in." Nate clarified. "Then, you won't blow yourself up, and Hardison won't die trying to protect you from yourself. It's not a bad idea to know what you're getting in to."

"Right. Studying." Eliot said with a resigned sigh.

"When you're not doing that, I would find an apartment so that your home address won't be in the US. You need a home by Sunday, at the latest."

"That's in three days!"

"Then I suggest you get to it." Nate replied. "I want everyone in a house, apartment, whatever, by next week. Parker and Hardison can stay together, but Eliot, you're pretending to be dating Aimee. She can yell at you for being flighty when we're sure Renshaw is listening. Then, it won't be a lawsuit if you disappear. Convenient, huh?"

"I have an apartment in Dublin." Parker said. "Hardison can stay there, I guess."

"I have house." Sophie said. "For when I used to pull off cons here. You can stay with me Nate."

"Thank you Sophie, but I'll find my own place. When you and I get involved in this game, then we can't be living together." Nate said. "It would be too suspicious."

"Anything else?"

"No. When you disappear, we'll see what you do because you'll be bugged, and then we'll bring Renshaw down from the inside." Nate said simply. "The details aren't important."

"Translation: You haven't thought it through all the way." Parker said shrewdly.

"I'll work out the details when we get to them." Nate replied, shrugging.

"Okay, so what are we doing today?" Sophie asked.

"It's a free day. Do whatever you want." Nate paused, re-thinking his statement. "As long as it's legal. You're the good guys now. Good guys don't steal for personal benefit."

"You're no fun." Parker grouched.

"Never said I was." Nate stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go."

"To Robin's?" Sophie inquired. Nathan nodded.

"She'll sleep through the day if I don't wake her up." The mastermind went to the rental car, then to the little cottage. He let himself in using the key under the eave and went inside. Robin was curled up in her room, sleeping. Nate flicked her light on and drew back the curtain. "Wake up Robin. It's morning."

Robin groaned and buried her face in her pillow, giving Nate a muffled, "Go away."

"Sorry, no can do." Nate said cheerfully. "You're going out today."

Robin sat up and gave her old friend a squinted glare. "With who?"

"With me. I'll go make breakfast and coffee and be back in twenty minutes."

Robin came out before her allotted twenty minutes was up, dressed in a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt with her hair in a long braid down her back. Nate was setting the table, with a breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, and coffee ready. Robin contributed Irish whiskey to the coffees, and Nate toasted her with his mug as they sat.

"I had some drambuie earlier, but Sophie took it from me." Nate told her. Robin laughed.

"Sophie doesn't like the thought of you drinking?"

"She says I drink too much."

Robin grinned. "Your best friends are Irish. Blame us." Nate smiled and took a sip of his alcohol-laced coffee.

"Conforming to stereotypes?"

"Hell yeah!" The friends laughed. Robin took a bite of food and then looked at Nathan in surprise. "This is good. When did you learn how to cook?"

"I don't know." Nate shrugged. "Maybe when Maggie and I split up, and it was either learn to cook or get fat on TV dinners. "

"Well I'm impressed." Robin said, taking another bite. Nate smiled in appreciation.

"Thanks."

"So," Robin looked meaningfully at him, "you and Sophie, huh?"

"I don't know." Nate said, taking a sip of coffee. "I mean, on the one hand, you know how I've always felt about her."

"Yeah." Robin chuckled. "I used to get so jealous."

"Right now, I'm trying to pull my life back together." Nate said. "I feel bad, because I know that Sophie's waiting for me."

"You're worth waiting for."

"You think so?" Nate asked quietly, a small smile on his face. He looked at Robin. "Did you wait for me?"

Robin scoffed. "I'm still waiting for you." She said honestly, as though the admission was nothing to her.

Nate nodded. He knew that he could be oblivious to Sophie's advances, but he knew Robin better, had known her longer. The Irish woman's instant dislike of the grifter and unveiled disapproval had proven that she still harbored feelings for him, and guilt knotted his stomach.

Robin had handled it well when Nathan had married Maggie. She had even consented to be Sam's godmother, which he knew hadn't been easy for her. She had drifted away, taking Kyler with her, and he had let them go so that he wouldn't hurt Robin so badly. When her brother had vanished, Robin had called the only person she knew would really be there for her: Nathan. He had, like always, come through for her, exceeding her expectations. He felt bad about coming back, but he knew that he would feel worse if he didn't try to find Kyler.

Nathan glanced at Robin, who, he realized, was waiting for an answer.

"I figured as much when I found you still single." He told her. She nodded, albeit sadly.

Nate felt horrible. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't attracted to Robin. She was beautiful and kind. She could make him smile and relax, which wasn't common anymore. She was hardly a bad choice.

But that was exactly the problem. She was a good choice, but she wasn't the _best_ choice. She was kind, but she wasn't unbelievably caring. She was beautiful, but she wasn't breathtakingly stunning. She could make him smile, even relax, but she couldn't make him _happy_. She was friendly and predictable when he wanted engaging and mysterious. When she hugged him, it was just a hug. There were no fireworks. When she put a comforting hand on his arm, it was just that: comforting. When Sophie placed her hand on his arm, every cell in his body was suddenly hypersensitive, and something equivalent to an electric shock shot through him. When Sophie hugged him, all was right in his world.

Once upon a time, Robin could have made Nate happy. He could easily love the Irishwoman. He did, but not the way she had always loved him. He couldn't give that to her anymore. Not with Sophie in his life. Robin gave him a wry smile.

"You could always see through me Nate."

"Not always." He disagreed. "There have been times when you really surprised me."

"Not since high school."

"Not since you called me a few days ago." Nathan corrected quietly. Robin considered that, and then grinned.

"So you said we were going out?"

"It's been so long. I thought you could show me around. You know how much I love Ireland." Nate smiled.

"All the drinking?" Robin teased. Nate winked and then started cleaning up.

"You caught me."

"Sophie will be furious with you, I suppose." Robin said cheerfully.

"I'm in Ireland. What else am I supposed to do?" Nate asked, feigning innocence. Robin grinned.

"Going to act Irish?"

"Hey. When in Rome."

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in so long. My life has been pretty hectic, but things are quieting down now and I found some time to write. I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter, and I'm glad that I got to put in the Robin time. She's really a cool character, when she's not ten shades of jealous. She's accepted that Nate belongs to Sophie, and now she'll get less obnoxious, though I doubt I'm going to put in this huge Sophie/Robin friendship thing. It's just a little bit overdone, in my opinion. Anyway, I'll (hopefully) be updating soon, and in the meantime, reviews are always wonderful. Thanks!


	8. A Day of Release

Nate's cell phone rang, and he fished through the bag until he found the little phone. He checked the caller ID: Chris. He flipped the phone open. "Yeah?"

"I got the call." Eliot's voice was triumphant.

Nathan allowed himself a quick smile of satisfaction. "Excellent." Sophie propped herself up on her elbow, looking at him inquisitively, and he smiled at her.

She tilted her head. "Eliot's been hired?" She translated. Nathan nodded, ad she smiled. "Let the game begin." She returned to her former position.

"What did Renshaw say, exactly?" Nate asked.

"To show up at his building on Wednesday morning, ready to work." Eliot replied. "I have to be there at eight."

"Okay. Go there, and make sure you have your comm. in at all times." Nate said. "Do you have your house in order?"

"I bought an apartment, but there's not much in it yet."

"Well, you have until Tuesday to make it look lived in." Nate paused, then cautioned. "I don't just mean furnish it. Give the carpet a stain or two, get yourself a wardrobe and make a dirty clothes pile, Use some of the food. Make it look lived-in."

"Tuesday? We're cutting it mighty fine." Eliot remarked dryly.

"Don't we always?" Nate replied.

"You have a point." Eliot conceded. "I can furnish it if I rush."

"Then why are you still talking to me? Get to it!"

Eliot hung up, and Nate flipped his phone closed and tucked it away again. "What was that about?" Robin asked.

"Renshaw hired Eliot."

"Is that your plan?" Robin sat up and looked at Nate over her sunglasses. "To have Eliot snoop until he finds out where my brother is?"

"No." Sophie didn't move as she spoke. She was lying on her stomach on a towel with her head on her arms, her face turned towards Nate and Robin. "We don't want him to find out. We want him to be taken to your brother and the rest of the missing chemists."

"You want him to be captured?!" Robin was incredulous.

"Yep." Nate replied matter-of-factly. Sophie had woken him that morning and dragged him unwillingly from his bed, telling him that she was taking him to Dublin Bay. When Robin had called and asked what he was up to, he told her that he and Sophie were, apparently, going to the beach and invited her along. She had come eagerly enough, and she and Sophie had ended up lying on beach towels on either side of him and sunning. He was in a low chair with a book. He opened his book again and started reading, the frowned, closed it, and called Eliot.

"Yeah?"

"Go to Hardison and get an extra comm. When you find Kyler, I want to be able to talk to him too."

"Is Robin going to get a comm.?"

"Eventually, yes, but not just yet." Nate glanced at Robin, who was watching him with a slight frown. "I just want to be sure that you'll be able to give Kyler the extra earpiece when you vanish. I need him to be able to hear me without you two sharing a comm. It will look suspicious."

"You got it. Hardison's staying with Parker, right?" Eliot sounded mildly jealous, and Nate bit back a grin.

"Yeah." Nate hung up and opened his book again. With any luck, he could get a bit more read before the next distraction came to stop him. Sophie, to his right, scoffed, and he looked at her. "Can I help you?"

"_The DaVinci Code_, Nate?" She asked, looking at his book. He gripped it defensively.

"It's a good book." He told her, trying to preserve his dignity.

"That you've read at least fourteen times."

"Fifteen, actually." Nate corrected self-consciously. It _was_ his favorite book. "I don't see why that's a problem."

"You don't have it memorized yet?"

"No more than you have every style of shoe you want, Sophie." He replied. She raised an eyebrow at him, a smile playing across her lips.

"Yes, but shoes actually matter."

"I'd rather be literate than fashionable." Nate replied shortly. The comment was accompanied by twin gasps, one on either side of him.

"Nate, I can't believe you just said that!" Robin exclaimed. Nathan sighed.

"Oh no Rob. Not you too!" He complained.

Sophie looked at Robin, and Nathan didn't like the expression on her face. When Sophie Devereaux wore that expression, Nate knew that he was in for it. It was the expression that she wore when she was playing a trick on him, which meant that he was going to be very unhappy soon. "Do you know what needs to be done, Robin?" She asked. She glanced down the beach, toward the water, and the Irishwoman caught on, though Nate was hopelessly lost.

"Oh yes, Miss Devereaux." Robin was grinning. "I agree completely." Together, the grifter and the citizen stood up and took hold on Nathan's arms at his biceps, tugging him to his feet.

"What's going on?" Nathan asked, looking from one woman to the other. They frog-marched him towards the water, and he got it. "Oh no! You're kidding me! Just because I think fashion is a waste of time, doesn't mean you get to--" They shoved him into the water, and he lost his footing and fell face-first into a wave.

He came up, and they were right there, dunking him back under the water. He grabbed someone around the knees, searching for a reprieve, and she came down with him, landing on him as he sat up. The water was low enough that he could sit comfortably and it came up to his chest. He shook his head, flinging his wet hair out of his eyes and found that he had grabbed hold of Robin, pulling her down with him. He reached for Sophie, but she danced out of reach, laughing. He dove for her, hugging her knees and pulling her down. She landed on his lap, and he rolled, taking them both under the water. Sophie jerked in surprise, and then Robin was part of their mass of rolling and tumbling childlike fun.

After a moment, they all came up for air, with Sophie and Robin laughing, and Nate playfully glaring at both of them. They looked at each other and dunked him again, and he swam away, into deeper water. He stopped when the water had reached his shoulders, meaning that Sophie's face would just clear the water, and Robin would have to tread water to stay afloat. They followed him out, and he grinned as he watched them struggling to stay afloat. He had misjudged Sophie's height because of her ever-present heels. She wasn't tall enough to stand either, and they both glared at Nate, then started trying to drag him back. He pulled them to his sides, then went back towards the shallower water, where they could all stand. When the water was at the same level as his ribs, he let them down. The water came up to Sophie's chest and Robin's shoulders.

"Had enough?" He teased. Robin and Sophie looked at each other and laughed, which made Nate uneasy. There was a swell of water, and Nate let the water lift himself off his feet for a moment. It turned out that was a mistake, because what followed the swell was a four or five foot wave, which sent Nathan tumbling all the way back to the very shallow water, where he was deposited sprawled out on the sand. After a few moments, Sophie and Robin reached his sides and sat down.

"Yes, I think I have." Sophie replied.

"Me too." Robin laughed. They both looked at him and spoke in unison.

"Nate?"

"For God's Sake, give me dry land." Nate groaned, dragging himself to his feet. He pause there, coughing up the water he had swallowed during his ungainly trip back to the shallows, then led the way to their spot, where he flopped down, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

"Nate, are you alright?" Sophie asked, concern slipping into her voice.

"I'm fine." Nate replied. He left it at that, because he couldn't tell her the truth: That he hadn't felt this young, this vitally alive, since the last time he had chased her down. He had forgotten just what it felt like to feel almost young. His prime had passed, Nathan knew that, but most days, he felt as though he was far older than he actually was. His grief made him feel as though he had seen far more years than he had. Today, he was happy to forget his grief and his troubles and just relax. He couldn't say anything to them besides thank you, and he didn't know how to say that, so he just kept quiet.


	9. Welcome to Resitance

"Goodnight Mr. Renshaw, I'll see you in the morning." Eliot said, throwing his valise over his shoulder.

"Thanks for staying Alex. You've been a real help." Renshaw replied with the same level of false companionship. Eliot headed out of the building and went to his car. He had been working at Renshaw's company for a month and a half, and there was no one better than him. Recently, Renshaw had been asking him to stay late. Eliot had been sure to call Perry and Aimee, who were in on the plot enough to know what they were supposed to do. Poor Eliot had to endure Aimee yelling at him for disappearing at least three times already. He heard someone coming up from across the parking lot.

"Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm thinkin' it's time. There's someone about... ten meters away, and they're coming for me." Eliot said quietly. There was no way the man coming for him would hear his voice.

"Eliot, you can't show off your strength. Fight back, obviously, but fight back like the untrained."

"So, flail around wildly and hope I hit something, all the while letting them kick my ass." Eliot replied.

"Remind me to kill you when I see you again."

"I'll remind you." Parker volunteered.

"Good luck Eliot."

"Thanks so much." Eliot murmured. The man was very close now, and a second was coming up fast. Eliot pretended to fumble with his keys, cursing under his breath. He wasn't going to get an opportunity to fight. He was going to be hit from behind. When done properly, it's relatively quick and painless, because you just pass out. If Eliot could hear this idiot from across the parking lot, then he wasn't properly trained. Aw hell, this was going to suck.

He was wrong. Something hit him from behind, and he slipped into unconsciousness before he could feel any pain. He came to with an involuntary jerk and a loud gasp.

"Eliot, you with us again?" Nate's voice drifted through the earpiece. They hadn't thought to search Eliot down. He was supposed to be a scientist. They wouldn't need to.

Eliot forced himself to breathe raggedly, even though it was a nuisance. It conveyed fear, which he should feel for Renshaw's men. It also helped conceal his response. "Uh huh."

"You feelin' okay man?" Hardison asked.

"Uh huh."

"Smart." Sophie commented. "Good idea, using your supposed fear as a cover for answering us."

"Uh huh."

"Should I take that to mean 'thank you'?" Sophie asked, her voice amused.

"Uh huh." Eliot looked around, taking in his predicament. He was in the back of a van, lying on the floor with his hands tied behind his back. The man who had hit him was driving, and the other was in the passenger seat. They were talking in low voices, not paying attention to Eliot. He scrambled to the back door, making as much noise as he could, and tried to open it to no avail.

"Hey! Stop that!"

"What's going on?" Eliot demanded, trying to put the right kind of fear into his voice."Where are you taking me?"

"Mr. Renshaw has needs of your skills elsewhere." The man replied. "You'll see when we get there. Now calm down. Nobody's hurting you."

"I don't believe you! My brother will know I'm missing! He'll call the police!" Eliot yelled.

"Your brother will assume that you vanished as you like to do, and Aimee will only support that theory. She'll be furious with you for leaving without telling her that you were going anywhere."

The anger that crept into Eliot's voice was real, and so was the danger. "If you go near Rob or Aimee, I swear I'll-"

"Eliot!" Nate warned. At the same time, the man in the passenger seat laughed and cut Eliot off.

"You'll do what? Kill me? Beat me down?" He laughed again, and Eliot fell silent in the back of the van. Or so his captors thought.

"Eliot, you do realize that your character doesn't know how to fight. Threatening people who do isn't something that people who can't fight do often." Nate said. "You're aware of that, right?"

"Yes, I'm aware of it." Eliot breathed. "But Aimee and Corporal Perry..."

"Aren't going to be harmed unless you piss someone off. The best way to protect them, Eliot, is to keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Right now, we need to wait until they take you to Kyler. Then we'll move forward. Don't do anything drastic, got it?" Nate was serious.

"Yeah, I got it." Eliot growled. "I'm not happy about it."

"I don't expect you to be." Nate replied simply. "But I do expect you to do as I say."

"Ears open, mouth shut." Eliot recited, trying to get into a more comfortable position. His hands were bound with the standard plastic cuffs, which Eliot could easily get out of. He resisted the urge. Most people wouldn't know to create friction to loosen the hard plastic of the cuffs. Most people wouldn't have the strength.

"Good." Nate called Hardison. He didn't pick up. He called Parker, and she answered on the second ring.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Hardison?!" Nate snapped, irritated that the hacker would not answer his phone when they were on a job.

"In his room playing World of Warcraft, I think." Parker said. "Why?"

"Because Eliot's been taken and we need him. Get him and meet me at the building."

"Okay." Parker hung up and Nate grabbed his jacket.

"Sophie?"

"I'll see you there." Sophie told him. He could hear the jangling of her keys, and he headed out himself.

"Tell me what's going on Eliot." He said.

"Right now, nothing." Eliot replied. "I'm trying to act scared."

"We're on out way to the office now, and then we'll be looking through your glasses camera." Nate told him, getting into his car and pulling out. The office building wasn't far. They all got apartments and houses near the building, for times such as these. Within five minutes, Nate was in the elevator, holding it for Sophie, then Parker and Hardison came in, and he held it for them too. The team went up to their office and Nate looked at Hardison. "Pick up your phone when we're on a job."

"Well, I didn't expect Eliot to disappear so quickly, and I was trying to get my mage to a level 90."

"Hardison, quit while you're ahead." Nate advised. Hardison nodded, then turned on his computer and accessed the camera in the corner of Eliot's glasses. "Is there any way we can get audio?" Nate asked. Hardison brought up the volume.

"Alright Eliot, we're with you."

"Good. I think we're slowing down." Eliot murmured, a thrill of anticipation washing through him and giving extra strength to his limbs. He was in retrieval specialist mode now, ready for anything. The van slowed down and came to a stop. "Ready?"

"Are you?" Nate replied. Eliot gave his half-laugh, but didn't say anything. The two men got out of the van, and he moved as clumsily as he could towards the front, as though he were trying to escape. The back door opened and he found himself face to face with his captors. Instinct urged his to shoot his foot out, and he tried very hard to make the movement anything but lethal. The men both dodged, and the larger one, who had knocked Eliot out grabbed his foot and twisted it painfully. Not badly enough to do damage, but badly enough to hurt. Eliot had to strain against every instinct he had, and he forced himself to wince and try and pull his foot away, instead of flipping himself over and striking with his other foot with deadly speed.

The men pulled him out of the van and he faked a struggle, trying not to seem hugely dangerous. There was no way he could conceal his muscle mass, so the force he used was toned down to only about three-fourths his strength. What he had to falsify was his accuracy and knowledge of painful spots. He slammed his foot down on one man's foot, right below his ankle, and the other had a bruise down to the bone on his shin. All the same, Eliot carefully avoided their kneecaps, and let them get in a few good hits, though he carefully rolled out of the worse ones, all the while seeming to be injured. After a few moments, he let them lead him in, and had to force himself to limp, even though his leg didn't hurt.

What he, and through him the team, saw stunned them all. There was a row of windows, looking in on rooms that had tables covered with chemicals. There was another line of test labs, and a room encased in steel.

"What does that lead to."

"If I had to guess?" Nate frowned. "It leads to soundproofed rooms where they test their products."

"On what?" Sophie had to ask, even though she already knew the answer.

"On people." Nate replied quietly. Sophie felt ill.

Eliot was led through double door to a row of rooms. There were no windows on the doors, and these were locked. One door was unlocked, opened, and Eliot was shoved through. He made himself trip and fall to the ground. The door slammed behind him, and he heard it locked from the outside.

"Nate, there are no cameras in the entire building." Hardison said. "Not one."

"What about bugs? Can they hear us?"

"No."

Eliot sat up and looked around the room. It was plain, with no easy escape. There were no windows, and the only door was the one they had come in. There were prison style beds jutting out from the walls, and on one, a man was watching Eliot. He had green eyes and red hair, and when he spoke, it was with an Irish lilt. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Eliot stood up and fished in his pocket for the earpiece, which he offered to Kyler. The Irishman stared at it, as if unsure of what to do. "Put it in your ear. There's someone who wants to talk to you."

Slowly, Kyler obeyed. "… Hello?"

"Kyler. Thank God." Nate's relief was audible. "Your sister is so worried about you."

"Nate?" Kyler was stunned.

"Hi Kyler." Nate said. "Sorry to talk to you under such horrible circumstances, but there was really no other choice. Say hi to your new roommate, Eliot. We're going to get you out of there."

"How?"

"By breaking the law." Parker said, smiling.

"A lot." Hardison added.

"You can trust us Kyler." Sophie interjected.

Kyler looked at Eliot. "What is this?"

Eliot smiled. "Welcome to Resistance."


	10. A Step Too Far

1"It's not so bad here." Eliot mused around his sandwich. He had been at Renshaw's facility for about two weeks now, waiting for Nate to make their next move.

"Are you kidding me? This is 'not so bad?'" Kyler replied, sounding incredulous.

"Kyler. You're out of your room. Hush." Nate ordered. "We don't know who's watching.

"Right. Sorry Na-"

"No names." Nate reminded, cutting him off.

"Right. Sorry. Though seriously El, you'd call this not so bad?" Kyler muttered.

"Kyler, we have blankets. We have _beds_. We have two or three meals a day, showers, bathrooms... compared to what I'm used to in a captive situation, this is a five-star hotel." Eliot replied, finishing his sandwich and draining his water. Eliot had fasted for several days upon arrival, letting Kyler have his food and observing the Irishman to assure himself that the food wasn't drugged. When he was satisfied that his meals were sage, he started eating them.

"Well it's _wrong_!" Robin burst out, wising from her position to the couch to pace the office's main room. "You can't just take people away from their family and friends. It's not fair! What gives Warren Renshaw the right to do that?"

"Nothing does, Robin." Nate replied wearily. "But he has power. He has people in the palms of his hands, and he places bribes. That's why he gets away with kidnaping people. He pays off the investigators, probably using the money he gets from the poisons his captives create."

"Nate, seriously, this is some gruesome stuff." Eliot said. "We need to get this shut down."

"Door's opening!" Kyler hissed quietly as he heard the door to his lab being unlocked. He looked up, and his expression quickly turned to one of loathing and disgust. "Renshaw."

"Okay Kyler, be careful. Remember, you don't know about us." Nate cautioned.

"How's my sister?" Kyler asked immediately. "I swear, if you've hurt Robin..."

"You'll do what?" Renshaw laughed. "She's fine, I suppose. We've stopped watching her. Your sister is no threat to me. Now, you've been working on something for two weeks. What have you got for me?"

Kyler picked up a syringe. "I call it 'Widow's Kiss'. It's a slow acid combined with the venom of a black widow. It's designed to kill slowly, over a time period of six hours to two weeks, depending on the dosage, and very painfully, I might add. What do you say you come here and I'll give you a _practical demonstration_."

Renshaw raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. Kyler lunged, and his captor seized his wrist, twisting it painfully and catching the syringe when the Irishman dropped it, then knocked his feet out from under him. Kyler wound up on the ground, with Renshaw leaning over him and pressing the needle against his neck, just barely not breaking the skin. "Watch your sarcastic mouth, Kyler. I've kept you around _this long _because you're good at what you do. Keep pushing me and I might not find you so useful, and _then_ what would your dear sister do?"

Robin gave a ragged gasp, whimpering her brother's name. "Kyler.."

"No, Robin-"

"Kyler!" Nate cut off his assurance, pulling Robin into a hug. She gripped his shirt tightly, holding back tears.

"That's right. Think of _Robin_." Renshaw agreed, misconstruing Kyler's attempt to calm his sister. "Now. Do you have an antidote for this?"

Kyler didn't reply, and the team heard a thud and Kyler exhaling all his breath. Robin choked back a sob, and Nate's arms tightened around her. "I _asked_ you if you have an antidote for this." Renshaw hissed.

"The other syringe, on the table." Kyler replied, sounding out of breath.

"And how long will it take this dose to kill?"

"Probably about a week." Kyler replied, his teeth gritted.

"Good. I think it's time we tested it."

Nate paled, swiftly removing Robin's earpiece and letting her go. He looked at the team in the room: Hardison, Parker, and Sophie were all watching, confused, until they heard Kyler speak.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" He barked, trying to pull out of Renshaw's grip and leaving them no doubt as to who Renshaw's test subject was to be. Nate made a decision. Over two weeks, Hardison and Kyler had become fast friends, impressed by each other's spunk.

"Hardison, give me your earpiece and take Robin home. Both of you, stay there." Nate ordered shortly.

"Nate, what's this about?" Sophie asked. "Surely Renshaw won't-"

"Now, Hardison!" Nate interrupted. Robin looked confused, but not frightened or sickened. Hardison removed his comm and handed it to Nate before leading a bewildered Robin out the door. Nate looked guilty. "She doesn't need to hear this... None of you do, and you don't have to."

"Nate, this is _sick_." Eliot said quietly. He too had become friends with the likeable Irishman. They all had.

"No... No, you're kidding!" Kyler exclaimed as he figured it out. "Let go!"

"Shut up. " Renshaw ordered, his voice unfeeling. "You need to learn what happens to people who threaten me."

Nate hated himself for saying it, but he spoke, his voice quiet. This wasn't for the sake of his protection, but for Kyler's. "Be careful. You can't say anything about us, because if Renshaw finds out, I don't even think Eliot will be able to save you in time, Kyler."

"Go get the other one and put him back to work." Renshaw ordered someone.

"They're coming for me..." Eliot said with dark satisfaction in his voice.

The order left a bad taste in Nate's mouth. "And you're going to go to work like you would if you weren't a retrieval specialist."

"What?! Nate, you've got to be kidding me!" Eliot exclaimed.

"Eliot, if you start beating people down, we'll never be able to stop this!" Nate retorted. He ran a hand over his face, his fingers encountering water around his eyes. "You can't fight them."

"I'll kill Renshaw when this is over." Eliot muttered, his voice angry, but defeated. "I will end his life."

There was the sound of a door slamming, accompanied by Kyler's frantic pleas, and Nate drew a ragged breath, looking at the women in the room. Parker was frowning, staring out the window. The grip she had on the chair she sat in was too strong, her knuckles white. Sophie had a hand over her mouth, tears in her too wide eyes, and the hand on her face was shaking violently. Nate couldn't breathe, and he could feel himself shaking.

Kyler sucked in a terrified breath when the contents of the syringe were injected into his bloodstream. A week was a long time.

Nate fall asleep that night with the agonized screams of his best friend ringing in his ears.

____

Author's Note: Dedicated to Queen, who wrote Menerbes because I threatened to withhold this chapter if she didn't, then promised to deliver it when she published the story. So I wrote it.


	11. The Unforgiveable

"You doing alright?" Nate asked quietly, his voice low and intent through the comms.

"Oh… you know. Same old, same old." Kyler's joking tone was impeded by a pained groan and his best friend bit his lip.

"Just try to relax, Ky. Eliot will be there soon."

"The worst is over." Sophie's voice assured him, speaking with a soft British lilt.

"Yes, I know. You all don't have to keep reminding me." Kyler assured them, slightly tired of the words that had been repeated to him countless times a day for the past week. Sophie looked at Nathan, who was running a hand wearily over his face.

"The worst is over, Nate." She repeated softly. "Get some sleep."

"I'm fine." Nate insisted, shaking his head. Some things were more important. Kyler frowned, trying to think over the past five days, for a time when Nate's voice _hadn't_ been in his ear, murmuring low assurances and comforting words.

"Nate, when was the last time you slept?" The Irishman asked quietly. Nate gritted his teeth, throwing a glare Sophie's way. She rolled her eyes and answered for him.

"About two weeks ago." She replied irritably.

"Nate!" Kyler swore. "You've got to sleep, mate."

"I'm _fine_." Nate insisted again.

The door burst open to reveal a grim-faced Hardison and a small, livid woman that Nate hardly recognized as Robin. He tugged his comm. out as she strode across the room, straight towards him. Her palm was hard on his cheek, the sound echoed around the small office, and the force left Nate's jaw stinging. "You _bastard!_" Robin shouted, tears in her eyes. "For a _week_, you tried to keep me in the dark while my brother was in pain! What the hell is wrong with you Nathan?!"

"I was trying to-" She slapped him again.

"Just shut up! I don't give a _damn_ about your excuses! _Give me my comm.! _I want to talk to my brother!" Nate dug her earpiece out of his pocket and handed it to her. She slapped him once more as she put it in. "Kyler?"

"Rob…" Kyler's voice was weak, but he made the effort. "Nate let you back, huh?"

"I'll kill him for it, Kyler. I can't _believe_ he did that."

"Robin, I'm right-" Her palm collided with his cheek _yet again_, and Sophie quickly stepped between them.

"Shut up, Nathan!"

"Aw, Rob, come on. You know he only did it because-"

"I don't _care_ why he did it! It was _wrong_ for him to think that I didn't deserve to know!" Robin ranted furiously.

"Nate, maybe we should give Robin a few minutes alone…?" Sophie suggested, tugging lightly on his arm. Nate nodded.

"Everyone out." Robin shot him a glare just for speaking, and Sophie glanced at her irritably. _She_ was the only one who was allowed to slap Nate. The grafter pulled him out of the room quickly, waving towards Parker and Hardison, who both followed after her, Hardison watching Robin nervously and Parker gazing at Nate with curiosity.

"She really, _really_ hates you." Parker said cheerily, tugging her comm. out. Sophie did the same. Nate winced.

"Yeah. She's not happy." He agreed wearily. "But who should have to listen to their brother go through that?"

"You put your brother in jail, didn't you Nate?" Hardison asked. Sophie shivered and Nate slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, but my brother's an asshole. Kyler's a good man." He replied, shrugging. "Besides, that's completely different. Jail isn't _poison_."

"Fair point." Hardison admitted.

"Nate, you know that she was just worried about her brother. Things will go back to normal in a few days." Sophie murmured assuredly. It was Nate's turn to shiver.

"You don't know Robin like I do. She can hold a grudge like you wouldn't believe." He said miserably. "She's going to be pissed off at me until I save her brother, and then she might still be angry. No one has a temper like an Irishwoman."

"Maybe she should go to meetings for that." Parker said. Nate, Sophie, and Hardison just glanced at her. It was _Parker_. Suggestions like this were always random and very common with her. You got used to it.

"Just don't worry so much, is all I'm saying." Hardison shrugged. "She's cool. She'll be good."

"I hope so. It's not going to be easy coordinating saving Eliot and Kyler with Robin breathing down my neck." Nate murmured. "And worse, if she decides to _actually_ try to hurt me, she could." That comment earned a look from every member of the team. It would be like Hardison saying that he gave up World of Warcraft, and Nate knew it. "She started martial arts training when she was four. She's probably a match for Eliot." He explained.

"_Ohhh_." The team nodded their understanding in unison.

"So we have an angry, protective sister, who is well trained and angry with Nate. Do you really think you should go back in there?" Sophie asked, looking nervously at the mastermind.

Nate nodded. "I'll be fine." He assured her. He carefully opened the door. "Robin, are you done?"

"You told him to try and pretend that we don't _exist_?! For a _week?! While he was in pain!?"_ Robin was more furious than she had been previously, if that were even possible. Nate winced. He knew he was in for it when her footing changed: Her right foot slid back, at a right angle to the left, which faced straight ahead. He pulled the door closed behind him, leaving his team in the hall as Robin advanced on him. "Nathan, you are going to regret that." She promised, her voice deadly calm and her eyes filled with fire.

By the time Sophie managed to get the door open, Nate was on his hands and knees on the ground, one arm wrapped around his chest as he attempted to draw breath. His lip was bleeding, and one eye was slightly swollen. "Nate!" Sophie dropped to her knees at his side, helping him sit back on his heels. "What the _hell_, Robin?"

Robin glared at Nate. "It wasn't even fair. He didn't fight back at all." Sophie pulled Nate to his feet, wincing when he gasped in pain and clutched his ribs more tightly.

"Of course he didn't. Nate doesn't _fight_ women." Sophie sniffed. "_Especially_ not his friends."

"He shouldn't deceive them either." Robin replied, still glaring at Nate. She moved forward quickly and Nate moved, turning so he was between Sophie and a heavy kick that landed in the middle of his back. He pressed his hand against the wall, catching himself before he crushed Sophie against it. "Don't come back, Nathan. You're _done_ trying to help my brother. All you've done is make things worse. _Stay away from Kyler and me!_" She shouted. Nate flinched, and Sophie pulled him carefully out of the room.

"A fine way to thank your friend." She growled. She slammed the door behind her. "I'm taking Nate home. We'll meet back up in two days. Parker, tell Eliot and Kyler."

"Got it." Parker screwed her comm. back into her ear as Sophie led Nate down the hallway.

"I can walk, Sophie. You don't need to help me." Nate muttered.

"You're limping, Nate. You need help." Sophie replied frankly, helping him into the elevator and all the way into her car. She drove to her place and got him inside, sitting him gently down on the couch and tugging his shirt off. "My god, Nate… you're covered in bruises. Are your ribs okay?"

"Nothing's broken." Nate assured her, wincing. "I'm fine."

"All the same… you're staying here for a few days so I can keep an eye on you."

Nate didn't have the energy to resist, so he just nodded. "Alright."


End file.
